atelier d'œnologie (wine tasting)

tonight, i was lucky enough to take advantage of yet another one of educo's amazing activities, a wine tasting.  we all met in the sommelier's atelier for a sampling of wines and cheese.  after learning a little wine geography (geography never sounded so fun), we started tasting wines.  our first wine was a white mâcon from bourgogne.  a nice dry white, it paired wonderfully with the cheese (in my opinion, though, all wine and cheese are good together).  i would like to try it with some fish, maybe salmon?  we learned how to probably taste wine from smelling it, to letting it breathe, to tasting it properly so as to get all the flavors.  next up was a michel lenique rosé champagne.  this would be an ideal aperitif (pre-dinner drink).  next we moved on to the red, started with a light, fruity chénas from near beaujoulais that tasted strongly of cassis (the liqueur that makes kirs, my favorite french cocktail.  i feel like it would go great with anything really.  our second red was a minervois from languedoc (the south) that was was very strong with a note of licorice.  it would go great with a steak, lamb, or duck.  the last wine was a very sweet and fruity white muscat, great for dessert.  the entire experience was very informative and enjoyable, and i definitely want to to try a greater variety of wines before i leave france.

parents in paris

this past week, my parents visited me in paris.  honestly, it was one of the best weeks of my life.  it started last monday.  upon arrival, tons of hugs, and the giving of my carefully prepared gift basket, my parents were whisked off for "hallie mitnick's tour of the louvre."  now, i'm no rick steves, however, i think i did a pretty good job showing them the highlights.  their first parisian meal was salad and hot chocolate at angelina, then we were off the famed rue st. honoré for some shopping.  tuesday, after lunch at la durée, we attempted to go to the musée d'orsay.  finding it quite crowded, we decided to come back and took a leisurely walk along the seine to the latin quarter, where we spent the afternoon.  we dined at le grand colbert with some of my parents' friends.  wednesday, my roommate, brittany, who's studying in milan, came to paris to spend the day with me and my parents before her parents arrived.  after a breakfast of crepes, we met my parents at notre dame, which never seems to lose its magic.  then we were off to the lesser know saint-chapelle to see the ornate stained glass.  we took the metro to the arc de triomphe and then walked down the champs-elysées and avenue montaigne.  we dined at the local wine bar, a personal favorite.  thursday, we made our second and much more successful attempt to go to the musée d'orsay where we also saw the new manet exhibit which was excellent!  we then went to bon marché, a classic parisian department store, and then went up to the eighteenth to see sacre coeur.  last stop was the musée d'orangerie for a little more impressionism.  friday, we were up with the sun to get to the palace of versailles, which was just as if not more extraordinary than the last time i was there.  back in paris, we spent some time in the marais, with a lunch of falafel.  we drank champagne with my host family and then were off to the classic brasserie, bofinger.  saturday, we went to the invalides and then lunched at the lovely rue cler, a street full of food shops and cafés.  we attempted to go the opera house and found it closed.  sunday was my birthday!  i woke to a showering of good wishes and some gifts, and then we were off to my local market to make up our picnic lunch.  dinner was exceptional at le jules verne, the restaurant in the eiffel tower.  surely, one for the record books.  there's something special about switching gears from tourist to tour guide, especially when you're guiding the two people who not only influenced you in every way possible but also shared in and celebrated your dream of going to paris.  my parents did everything they could and then some to help me achieve this dream, and it was an honor and a delight to share my life in paris with them.

spring break, partie trois: nice and monaco

BEST HOSTEL EVER.  just the beginning of fun in nice.  nice was beautiful.  we spent our first day at the famous flower and fruit market and then on the beautiful beach.  a friend told me to look at the water and that is was two shades of blue (take a look at my picture).  the beach was covered in large pebbles and the sun felt so good.  the next day we were off to the principality of monaco for a touch of glamour.  the prince's palace was fantastic (cameras were prohibited, so i have no pictures, but google it!).  we then saw the port with all the luxurious yachts and the monte carlo casino with flashy cars galore.  back to our hostel we went, and we finished our break with another visit to the market.  one of the best trips ever!

spring break, partie deux: aix-en-provence

old town of aix

atelier de cezanne

provençal lavender

our next stop was the picturesque town of aix-en-provence.  after dropping our bags at our adorable little hotel, we headed to the old part of town where we semi-inadvertently ran into some friends.  we all shared a lovely provençal meal.  in the morning we explored the old town, where we found another market selling lots of provençal lavender.  then we were off to cezanne's studio which was lovely.  i was truly struck by how simple it was.  then we were back at the train stations to head to nice.

spring break, partie une: lyon

cathedral fourvière

astronomical clock at st. jean-baptiste 

brioche aux pralines

the view from our picnic spot

cheese from the market

my first stop on my spring break adventure with my friend tate was lyon, food capital of france and france's second largest city.  we went by train, which is, in my opinion, the best way to travel through france.  upon arriving, we took the tram from the train station to the tram stop near our hotel, which happened to be right by this beautiful park.  we got our hotel, dropped our things, and then were off to vieux lyon (old lyon), especially to see the cathedral fourvière.  the cathedral was amazing, a was the cathedral down the hill, cathedral st. jean-baptiste.  then we were off to the famous brasserie georges for famous lyonnais sausage.  day 2 brought us to the local market at quai des celestins, which was amazing.  we enjoyed a lunch of baguette, st. marcellin cheese (a local speciality and new favorite) and beaujoulais (also a local specialty) along with traditional lyonnais sausage brioche and strawberries.  after enjoying our luxurious picnic on the côte du rhone (coast of the rhone river... like the wine), we walked through vieux lyon and enjoyed all the shops.  we also ate a tradition south of france pastry, the praline brioche which was to die for.  our last say in lyon found us back at the market for similar fare and then we were off to aix-en-provence.

cooking class

the girls with madame

monday evening, after my very exciting weekend, the fun continued with a gourmet cooking class.  the most lovely madame i have ever met welcomed us into her beautiful apartment.  we made cheese tarts with a sort of pesto sauce, veal that fell apart when you cut it, and panna cotta.  the best part, though, was the conversation with this lovely lady who had seen so much of the world and had so much to share with us.  it was truly lovely.  definitely one of the best things i've done in paris.

the beginnings of my travels around france

lille

me and danielle

market in beaune

this past weekend, i commenced my travels around france.  on friday i was off to lille in northern france, a city with a strong flemish influence.  our day started in the picturesque town square and then we were off with our tour guide, sylvie, to see a church that was a mix of old and new architecture.  then, we were off to the hospices de la comtesse.  after a typical flemish lunch, we went to the musée des beaux arts, which is the second most important museum in france (it's impossible to beat the louvre).  after grabbing a quick speculoos gaufre (waffle) for the train ride, back to paris we went.  saturday morning, i was up with the metro (not quite: fun fact-the metro opens at 5 AM) to head with the rest of EDUCO to Bourgogne (Burgundy).  Our EXTREMELY skilled bus driver dropped us in beautiful Beaune and we walked right into the market!  After a quick purchase of cassis (for kirs, obviously... cassis is a regional specialty), i was off to a lunch of... what else... boeuf bourgignon!  thank you to julie and julia for making this amazing dish so well known.  after lunch, we visited the famous hotel dieu-hospices de beaune and then were off to the caves of reine-pédauque for a wine tasting (so fun!).  after a scenic drive through the vineyards of bourgogne, we ended up at the charming inn where we dined and stayed the night.  we were up with the sun (again, exaggeration... i don't LOVE getting up early on weekends) to head to l'abbé de fontenay and then to the city on a hill, vezelay for a typical bourgogne meal and a view of the beautiful basilique.  ten postcards later, i found myself back in paris!

l'abbé de fontenay

basilique-vezelay